Still pretty new to the game but no, I am not a dingbatter. Found a decent wood duck hole last season late and only got to hunt it twice. I haven't had a chance to scout it this year because of deer fever. I was thinking I might hit it Saturday morning. I was wondering if any of you woody veterans could tell me if wood ducks are usually pretty solid this early or would it be better to wait? Also don't have any puddle decoys. Yall think a couple bluebill decoys will throw scare them or will they decoy to em?

Go scout tomorrow if you have time. Only way to know for sure if they're there. Ducks have decoyed to painted milk jugs before. Just need to be on the "X" and you'll kill birds. But usually a lot of woodies around. That's what I'm planning on shooting this Saturday.

Gotcha. looks like I need to invest in painting a few of those deeks to look like woodies. I've got about 50 of them and I only used them all a couple times last year. I think I could spare a few. Super stoked about Sat.!

From my experience if you find woodies in a spot this year pretty thick, you probably have a good spot forever. I have a place in Indiana where if there is a stout west wind, the woddies pile up in there. They did it for the 3 years I lived there and my buddy had hunted it 12 years straight, same conditions always resulted in a ton of birds. the hole was good for about 3 hunts a year.

I wouldn't use bluebill decoys at all. If you have a few wood duck decoys put them where you don't want them to land. My experience is wood ducks don't like to land with decoys. I don't really understand it. A teal mojo is good too the first day and they will land on it. I heard that from someone else on this forum as well.

Mojos are a must have in a corn or bean field. They are duck magnets more so there than water. We put them behind us so they land right on us. Makes for easier shots when they are ten feet away about to land, not hardly ever a cripple or lost bird.

I've had better luck without decoys than with. If that's where they want to land they are going to land there decoy or not. Unless, of course, you do like my 8 year old son did last week as a woodie is about to land: stands up and points "there he is"